Apple is about to launch the most interesting iPhone in years and we still don't know what to call it. Apple's first foldable iPhone takes the stage at the "Surprise and shine" event on September 9 along with the iPhone 18 Pro launch. So far, Apple has been tight-lipped about the foldable's name. So, what will be the iPhone foldable name - Fold, Ultra or Duo? Let's find out.
The "iPhone Fold" Starting Point
From the very beginning, everyone just called it the iPhone Fold and you can understand why. That was the easy label to describe since Samsung already sells the Galaxy Z Fold series. In fact, this year's Galaxy Z Fold 8 has almost the same body as the foldable iPhone.
That said, Apple almost never names a product after rival products, so iPhone Fold always felt like a placeholder before we got the official name. The dimensions of Apple's foldable iPhone is almost known, but the marketing name is still missing.
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"iPhone Ultra" Became the Frontrunner
After the iPhone Fold trend, we got a new name: iPhone Ultra. Back in March 2026, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple's foldable would join a new premium "Ultra" family of Apple products. And in August, he added that "Everyone calls it the Ultra internally. We'll see what happens."
The Ultra name is already part of Apple Watch Ultra, CarPlay Ultra and the M-series chips, so it's easy to believe. You can find everything rumoured about the iPhone Ultra (Fold) for the specifics.
Not everyone is convinced, though. Analyst Max Weinbach argues that an Ultra product is supposed to sit at the top of the lineup and a foldable that doesn't outrightly beat the Pro model in all areas, so it doesn't really justify the name.
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And Then the "iPhone Duo" Name Popped Up
Just as iPhone Ultra gained traction, a new label arrived. MacRumors reported iPhone Duo last week and it sounds plausible. Apple has had devices and accessories like the old PowerBook Duo laptops and MagSafe Duo Charger. In that sense, Duo is an apt name for a phone with two screens.
Now, leaker Majin Bu claimed on Sunday that iPhone Duo and not Ultra, is the actual retail name. By the way, he called the iPhone 16e name correctly, though his record is mixed.
Next, CASETiFY listed the new foldable as iPhone Duo before pulling it down. The screenshot is now doing the rounds, but case makers only get the dimensions they need and not Apple's marketing names.
Finally, on the day of the event, Mark Gurman has now reported that the foldable iPhone will be called the iPhone Duo. Not only that, the new foldable will cost around $2,000. So, in all likelihood, iPhone Duo is the final name.
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Finally, What Will Apple Name Its Foldable iPhone?
I think Apple might go with iPhone Duo as it fits the product description. The company might reserve the Ultra branding for its 20th anniversary iPhone, which will be released next year. I don't think Apple would so easily give away the Ultra branding.
Apple is working on the biggest iPhone redesign since iPhone X with curved glass and thinner bezels. The company might as well call this new model iPhone Ultra next year.
Interestingly, the recently leaked Apple's roadmap for iPhones revealed that the company is already developing a larger foldable for 2028, besides testing a second-gen foldable for 2027.
So, when Apple is planning to release larger and more capable foldables in the future, why would it call the first-gen product an Ultra? Nevertheless, let us wait till tomorrow and see what Apple's new foldable is finally called.
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